baby

We receive mixed cultural messages about antidepressants and pregnancy. (Image: Thinkstock)

Should You Take Anti-Depressants During Pregnancy?

When my husband and I began trying to conceive, I was anxious about how my antidepressant medication would affect a pregnancy, especially after reading terrifying pseudo-scientific articles and judgmental, paranoid commentary lurking in The Seventh Circle of Hell known as mommy boards.

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A lot of new parents experience some sort of protective anxiety.

Postpartum Anxiety: It Made Me Fear For My Baby's Life

The hypervigilance began in the last month of my pregnancy, when cars on the freeway started to feel a little closer than usual. By the time I was due, it felt like they were purposely heading for my car.

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"We are counting it as a win. We left early, but it was still a huge win." Image: Thinkstock

I Took My 1 Year Old To A Punk Music Festival. Here's What I Learned

There’s just no getting around it, and other than one half-hour spell where he sat with a good friend of ours while both of his moms took a swim, one of us had to be with him the entire weekend. And let’s be honest, because I’m “boob mom” and he was nursing even more than normal, it could never really be divided 50/50. All of that was fine, but it was often just fine, and there’s just no denying that it was a very different trip than it would have been without a kid.

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In two days, I am taking my 1 year old on a road trip, and camping with him in the middle of Indiana to listen to a bunch of weird punk bands and hang out with a thousand strangers. Image: Thinkstock.

I'm Taking My 1 Year Old To A Camp-Out Punk Festival

[W]hen tickets went on sale for a DIY punk music festival that my wife had attended several times before we were married, and she lamented that there was “just no way” that she’d be able to go, a light bulb went off in my head. “What if we just all went together?” I said.

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My daughter nursed (and was supplemented with formula, then milk) for 18 months, and when we weaned, it was because we were ready. Image: Lesly Juarez/Unsplash.

I Supplemented Breast Milk With Formula For 18 Months — And You Can Too!

My daughter nursed (and was supplemented with formula, then milk) for 18 months, and when we weaned, it was because we were ready. After that first bottle, I should have realized that supplementing was great for both me and my daughter.

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We don’t often give pregnant people realistic expectations or dote on them postpartum, as we should. Image: Thinkstock.

The Postpartum Period Is For Self-Care (Not Just Taking Care Of The Baby)

CN: mention of postpartum depression/suicidality. Generally, in my experience, people often get so excited about a new baby, that they forget that postpartum women need doting on, too.

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Children make me giddy, whether I’m on the subway or in the park. Image: Adrianna Calvo/Pexels.

When None Of Your Feminist Friends Want Kids

Most of my friends are my age or slightly older and yet virtually none of them want children… ever. They argue that women deserve respect and autonomy over their bodies. I passionately agree. A few of these friends are, like me, engaged or married, but even they don’t want kids. One of my engaged friends says she and her fiancé may want to adopt children later in life, after they’ve had the chance to travel extensively.

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Momsense is a revolutionary product, an app that takes the guesswork out of this whole situation.  Image: bule/Pixabay.

Momsense: The App That's Revolutionizing Breastfeeding

With bottle feeding, you are able to fill the bottle with a very specific amount of formula or breast milk and are able to physically see how much Baby is taking at each feeding. With breastfeeding, that isn’t quite as easy. We know that they are eating, but we aren’t able to tell exactly how much — until now.

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